Wild at Heart Wedding by CMC Photography

Andrew and Ruth Anne's wedding was down to earth in more ways than one - a woodland and nature-inspired theme to the decor, paired withlots of fun distractions and entertainments for their guests before, during and after the ceremony as much as during the reception, ensured they achieved their aim of a fun, relaxing and enjoyable day for their guests as well as themselves.

Andrew and Ruth Anne's wedding was down to earth in more ways than one - a woodland and nature-inspired theme to the decor, paired with lots of fun distractions and entertainments for their guests before, during and after the ceremony as much as during the reception, ensured they achieved their aim of a fun, relaxing and enjoyable day for their guests as well as themselves. Thanks to CMC Photos we are delighted to share Ruth Anne and Andrew's one fab day.

Yes, those are spikes on the wedding dress... read on...

It was during my gap year in 2007 when I was an intern, that I went to help out with a two week kids and youth programme called ‘Deepfish’ for two weeks. Feeling utterly out of place, I huddled in the corner watching the team gathering and socialising. I looked across the room and saw this tall, dashing creature with cool hair and a camera slung around his neck and I was immediately intrigued! We regularly chatted over the next two weeks until the last night of the camp painfully descended upon us. we spent the entire night sitting up talking; dreading the quickly approaching dawn that would herald my departure to Dundonald again. Trouble struck again when I left for Uni in Edinburgh just a month later. We phoned each other, wrote letters, I made visits back home until I eventually came home in 2008. It was at the beginning of 2008 that we finally got together!

In March 2011, I joined Andrew’s family on their skiing holiday to Switzerland. On our fourth day there, Andrew persuaded me to ride the ski lift to the top of a fairly high mountain with him, bear in mind that this was my first skiiing holiday. We reached the top of the mountain and sat for a moment to take in the stunning views of the Alps (or so I thought). Funnily enough Andrew began fidgeting with something in his coat pocket, and for a moment I thought “This is it, he has a ring in there, he’s going to propose!” but then he pulled out his phone and I cleared that thought from my mind. However, next thing I know, Andrew HAD pulled a little red square box from his pocket and handed it to me. I was gobsmacked and tried to think of anything else that could be in that little red box (“A new pair of earrings?”…”Just a nice new piece of non-marital jewellery?”) But I cracked that little box open and found a stunning solitaire diamond engagement ring inside.I laughed.Andrew laughed, and he said, “Will you marry me Ruth-Anne?”

Now how's about this for a bridal look - Ruth Anne embodies the idea "if you can dream it, you can wear it", designing her wedding dress herself! Her friend made it using the lace from her mum’s wedding dress. "I love lace and leather and spikes and studs so it was my dream dress! It was perfect!" Fantastic to see a bride taking a risk, and going with her heart and staying true to her personal style - you should be yourself on your wedding day!"

Our whole ceremony was stunning — the worship, the songs performed, the vows, the message from the Pastor, and my friend delivered a monologue/poem beautifully. As most people know, wedding days can be long and full of tradition and formality and etiquette. Right from the start, we wanted to do away with as much formality and stuffiness as possible — we wanted it to be relaxed and enjoyable for everyone there.

We made an effort to incorporate wee ways to make it relaxed and informal for our guests.we made up playlists of our favourite songs for guests arriving at the Church; we also had some of our incredibly talented friends play and sing during and after the ceremony.

We hired a 9-hole Mini Golf Course and set it up inside the church for guests to use before and after the ceremony. We also provided homemade gourmet burgers and Maine Drinks (Andrew’s Grandfather owns Maine Softdrinks so it was a nice touch to be able to serve it to guests) immediately after the ceremony. I love this tradition of refreshments in or outside the church immediately after a ceremony, you don't see it at Catholic ceremonies but it's such a fun touch, letting the couple have some time to bask in the glow rather than rush off for photos straight away. Or maybe it's just my gluttony? Hearing about the hand-made the gourmet burgers is making my tummy rumble!

Now, usually when it comes to the wedding portraits, they are taken at the venue location, in the grounds, or somewhere closeby - but Ruth Anne and Andrew were found the perfect location in the garden of a friend, making it extra special.

We never really were attracted to the idea of having our wedding in a hotel. Hotel function rooms tend to all look very similar and we wanted something with a bit of character and beauty. We initially looked into getting a Marquee but it proved exceptionally expensive. It was a friend who actually recommended The Wild Duck Inn, we immediately fell in love with it — the huge stone walls, the beautiful arches at the bar, the flagstone floor, the atmospheric lighting, it all tied in so well with our theme, and it had the character and beauty that we were looking for.

I spent quite a while browsing through wedding blogs and saving images and colour schemes that I liked. I’m not overly girly and I don’t really care for pinks/pastels. I always knew I wanted bridesmaids in grey, and we found some gorgeous dark blue shoes to go with their grey dresses.The Woodland/Nature theme actually came about quite organically! Andrew had drawn up a design for the invitations and had used a lot of nature imagery, I came across the idea of making origami birds, and we came up with the idea of placing sections of tree trunks down the aisle of the Church (after some strong winds blew a section of trees over at Andrews home!). We soon realised our theme had come about very organically and effortlessly. From then on, we purposely sought out, and designed little details including the men’s belt buckles, the Bird’s Nest Table Plan Board and the Mini Trees with Gingerbread Houses Table Centres with woodland and nature in mind.

From the woods, to a woodland themed reception - Andrew and Ruth Anne brought the outdoors indoors with their theme, she explained, "We baked, cut, and assembled a small village of gingerbread houses for our table centres. We made the table centres themselves and the Birds Nest Table Plan Board. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it! and what a centrepiece the tree trunk cake made! Baking was a bit of a mini-theme, with her mum, sister and best friend whipped up mini cupcakes, truffles, brownies, and traybakes for the evening reception.

What advice would you give to brides and grooms planning their day? "Figure out what is important to both of you and go with it — even if it isn’t necessarily the way weddings are done. We wanted a relaxed day with the people we love — with good food, good music and good fun; it wasn’t so much about sticking rigidly to wedding traditions and spending lots of money.

Finally, remember that as long as both the bride and groom, and the ones you love turn up, who cares what goes wrong? You are with the love of your life with your nearest and dearest, and that’s what is most important!"

Wise words, Ruth Anne. Follow your heart and your wedding will be as it should be - the most special day of your life. Congratulations Ruth Anne and Andrew! Huge thanks to Connor from CMC Photos for sharing his lovely work ont